The Yamaha Road Star Warrior Forum

I have a 2005 Warrior with cobra pipes, cobra Fi2000 and removed AIS. It seems like my bike has been running horrible since the local gas stations went to "up to 10% ethanol". Has anyone else experienced this or do I need to bring my bike to a mechanic? It was running great after I removed the AIS and had the recalls taken care of. It seems that in the last couple months its gone back to misfiring and popping and stalling like it did before the AIS removal.

Any ideas?

Well if you go by the sticker on the bike it says to go 100% gas but it also says to use 91 octane but that will only build up carbon. Anyway my answer is yes, mine runs weak on 10% ethanol, pops and slow warm up. I found a station with 100% gas, but it still pops and man you can feel a heat difference between the two, all gas burns a lot hotter. (oh and it pops because I had 10% gas in the tank when I dyno'ed last is my guess). 

I had to use some on my last trip and mine ran fine.  I don't know if the ethanol will actually hurt anthing.

actually 10% ethanol won't cause anything to run worse , it will run the same but you WILL loose some gasmileage.

swisswarrior:

actually 10% ethanol won't cause anything to run worse , it will run the same but you WILL loose some gasmileage.

If it sits a few days, it will stop motors from running. 

Ethanaol is the WORST thing to happen to the internal combustion engine, since OPEC, EPA and Ralph Nader combined.  The crooked congressman that forced that one up our rectums should all be taken out and drowned in the reflecting pool, together will their entire families. 

When I have more time, I'll let you know how I really feel. 

independent_lemming:

it also says to use 91 octane but that will only build up carbon

the warrior is designed to run on 86 octane [(R+M)/2] which is the common method used in the states. OR 91 octane [(RON)=research octane number] most commonly used in europe. check the yellow sticker at the pump it will have one of these formulas posted.

and yamahas can run on up to 10% just fine, problem is the that ethanol is mixed in by the trucker at the gas station after they fill the tanks and often the percentage is alot higher than 10%. that will cause problems. we have been seeing this alot here recently(DFW area). they have been testing the alcohol content and have fond some station with 30-40 % ethanol content.= problem

so i would suggest to try another station, see if that helps.

I disagree that the ethanol will stop your bike from running. I live in Houston and all you get here is the 10% stuff. Mileage goes down but that is all. My bike runs like a scalded ape!!! and she sat all last week fkin rain. Started right up.

The_Bear:

swisswarrior:

actually 10% ethanol won't cause anything to run worse , it will run the same but you WILL loose some gasmileage.

If it sits a few days, it will stop motors from running. 

Ethanaol is the WORST thing to happen to the internal combustion engine, since OPEC, EPA and Ralph Nader combined.  The crooked congressman that forced that one up our rectums should all be taken out and drowned in the reflecting pool, together will their entire families. 

When I have more time, I'll let you know how I really feel. 

it can take as few as 2-3 weeks for the fuel to go bad. also called phase seperation= no start, no run.

but not in a few days, also run fuel stabilizer all the time and you can GREATLY extend the time for the fuel to seperate or go bad.

believe me i work on boats , which do more sitting than anything and we have been battling this alot since the 10% ethanol crap came out.

The_Bear:

Ethanaol is the WORST thing to happen to the internal combustion engine, since OPEC, EPA and Ralph Nader combined.  The crooked congressman that forced that one up our rectums should all be taken out and drowned in the reflecting pool, together will their entire families. 

When I have more time, I'll let you know how I really feel. 

hmmmmmm do i detect a hint of anger??????lol

 It's not to bad on fuel injected vehicles but the people with carburators are going to start having some needle and seat/float problems real soon!All stations sround here have went to at least 10%!

The fuel with 10% Ethanol seems to be alot harder on your engine and hoses.  There are alot of guys around here that mow for a living having hell with it in thier small engines.  Think of it this way.  A friend of mine that owns a station told me they are having to specially equip the trucks that are hauling it with special hoses because it is eating the standard ones up.  Our local car dealers are also warning against running it in anything that isn't flexfuel. The flexfuel vehicles have the hoses and stuff required to safely run it. The warrior doesn't. Just my opinion.

harder on engines---no (as long as it is up to 10%)

harder on fuel hoses --- yes to a certain degree. older hoses will deteriorate faster due to ethanol.most newer hoses can handle up to 20% fine.

Also the warrior can handle up to 10% ethanol as stated in the owners manual page 3-9

DanGunman:

 It's not to bad on fuel injected vehicles but the people with carburators are going to start having some needle and seat/float problems real soon!All stations sround here have went to at least 10%!

that's right,, we have alot of problems with carbureted engines after they been sitting for awhile. usually you have to let a fuel injected engine sit alot longer before you see problems. don't be fooled though it WILL hurt fuel pumps and clog injectors after awhile.

This 10% Ethanol business is just a pile of cr@p. They now ask for more and give you less!

And by the way check this out https://www.yamaha-motor.com.au/ssl/motor_faq.asp and scroll down. There is a nice red statement waiting for you (ETHANOL BLENDED FUELS).

Yes, moisture! Ethanol tends to be hygroscopic to the extent that it readily absorbs moisture from the air. Additionally, it is highly volatile: It evaporates quickly once left out to the heat...

 Feds allow +- 10% so you may be running 20%